Catgut implantation at acupoints increases the expression of glutamate aspartate transporter and glial glutamate transporter-1 in the brain of rats with spasticity after stroke

Catgut implantation at acupoints has been shown to alleviate spasticity after stroke in rats.However,the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.In this study,we used the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke.Three days after surgery,absorbable surgical catgut sutures were implanted at Dazhui（GV14）,Jizhong（GV6）,Houhui,Guanyuan（CV4）and Zhongwan（CV12）.The Zea Longa score was used to assess neurological function.The Modified Ashworth Scale was used to evaluate muscle tension.The 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride assay was used to measure infarct volume.Immunohistochemical staining was performed for glutamate aspartate transporter（GLAST）and glial glutamate transporter-1（GLT-1）expression.Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of GLAST and GLT-1.Reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction were carried out to assess the expression of GLAST and GLT-1m RNAs.After catgut implantation at the acupoints,neurological function was substantially improved,muscle tension was decreased,and infarct volume was reduced in rats with spasticity after stroke.Furthermore,the expression of GLAST and GLT-1 m RNAs was increased on the injured（left）side.Our findings demonstrate that catgut implantation at acupoints alleviates spasticity after stroke,likely by increasing the expression of GLAST and GLT-1.

Catgut Implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture Point to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Patients with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Three Cases Report

Objective: To explore the effect of catgut implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture point for patients with urinary incontinence secondary to spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: Three SCI patients received catgut embedding at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture point. The data of intermittent catheterization (IC) volume, intermittent catheterization frequency and the amount of using urine pad (urethral condom) were corrected. Results: Compared to the baseline data, IC volume increased and the leakage volume decreased. Conclusions: Catgut Implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture point is effective for patients with urinary incontinence secondary to incomplete SCI.

ANALYSIS OF CURATIVE EFFECTS OF BRONCHITIS AND ASTHMA TREATED BY CATGUT IMPLANTATION AT ACUPOINT

Catgut implantation at acupoint, catgut implantation at acupoint plus medicine and simple medicine were respectively used for treatment of 100 cases with bronchitis and asthma.The results showed that the effective rates of catgut implantation at acupoint, catgut implantation atacupoint plus medicine and simple medicine were 87%, 99% and 85% respectively. Statistical analy-sis indicated that the curative effect of catgut implantation plus medicine was the best as comparedwith other two groups with significant difference (P【0.01 ).

OBSERVATION ON CURATIVE EFFECTS OF 245 CASES WITH PEPTIC ULCER TREATED BY CATGUT IMPLANTATION AT THE ACUPOINT

It is reported that 245 cases of peptic ulcer were treated with catgut implantationat Pishu（BL 20）-through-Weishu（BL 21）,Shangwan（CV 13）-through-Xiawan（CV 10）and Zusanli（ST 36）points.Catgut was embedded subcutaneously and left for 15 days as a course.As a resuit,121 cases（49.39％）were cured and 124（50.61％）improved.The total effective was 100％.

CLINICAL OBSERVATION ON 104 CASES OF LOCAL NEURODERMATITIS TREATED BY CATGUT IMPLANTATION AT ACUPOINTS

Neurodermatitis is an intractable dermatosis, which is characterized by paroxysmal pru-ritus and lichenoid pathological changes in the skin. In this study, 104 cases of local neuredermatitiswere treated with catgut implantation at acupoints. Among them, 80 cases (76. 9 % ) were markedlyeffective, 14 cases (13. 5 % ) effective with the total effective rate of 90. 4 %. There were another 38cases used as a control group, who were treated with 10% Unguentum picis fabae nigrae or Triamci-nolone. The local area smeared with the ointment was blowed by an electric hot blower. If itching wassevere, it should be treated with sedative or using some antihistaminics. Of them, 18 cases (47. 4 % )were markedly effective, 11 cases (28. 9 % ) effective. The total effective rate was 76. 3 %. There wasa significant difference between the two groups (P【0.05 ). It shows that the effect of catgut implan-tation at acupoint is better than that of medicination group.

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF CATGUT EMBEDDING THERAPY AND ACUPUNCTURE ON GASTROPTOSIS

Among 78 patients with gastroptosis treated with catgut embedding therapy, 8cases were cured, 25 cases rnarkedly improved, 4z cases improved and the effective rate was 96. 2％;and among 58 patients treated with acupuncture as control, 3 cases were cured, 18 cases markedlyimproved, 28 cases improved and the effective rate was 84. 5％. The chi square test for both cure rate(X^2 = 4. 84, P【0. 05 ) and effective rate (X^2= 5. 632, P【0.02 ) showed the significant differencesbetween 2 therapeutic groups and it indicated that the cure rate and effective rate in catgut embeddinggroup were significantly higher than those in acupuncture group.

Effectiveness and safety of acupoint catgut embedding combined with Chinese herbal medicine in chronic urticaria: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupoint catgut embedding(ACE)in combination with Chinese herbal medicine(CHM)in treating chronic urticaria(CU).Methods:We thoroughly searched Embase,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wangfang database,Chinese Scientific Journal Database(VIP),and Chinese biomedical literature database(SinoMed)for relevant studies from inception until May 2022.Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on ACE combined with CHM for CU were included.Literature search,data extraction,and risk of bias assessment were independently conducted by two authors.Results:A total of 15 RCTs with 1065 participants were included in this review.Five trials reported that the combined therapy showed a higher total effective rate,and four trials reported that the combined therapy was associated with a lower level of serum immunoglobulin E.Furthermore,two,four,and four trials reported that the combined therapy was more effective in reducing itching degree,size,and number of wheals,respectively.The combined therapy was reported to be associated with a lower recurrence rate in three trials,and with a fewer adverse reaction rate in two trials.Conclusions:ACE in combination with CHM appears to be a safe and effective therapy for patients with CU.Given the relatively low quality of the included trials,these findings should be interpreted cautiously.Further high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm our findings.

AN OBSERVATION ON THE CURATIVE EFFECT OF CATGUT-EMBEDDING AT ACUPOINTS FOR TREATMENT OF 80 CASES OF LUMBAR MUSCLE STRAIN

In the present paper,the clinical curative effects of catgut embedding therapyand traditional acupuncture therapy for treatment of lumbar muscle strain were compared.The sameacupoints were used in both groups.Results showed that the effective rates were 100% and 92.5%respectively in 80 cases of the catgut embedding group and 40 cases of the acupuncture group.Therewas a significant difference between the two groups(P【0.005).It indicates that the catgut embed-ding therapy is an effective method for treatment of lumbar muscle strain.

Catgut Implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture Point to Treat Dysdefecation in Patients with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Three Cases Report

Objective: To probe into the effect of catgut implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture Point on dysdefecation in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: Three SCI patients voluntarily accepted catgut embedding at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture point. Before and after treatment, they were filled out the self-rating scale of defecation, including the data of defecation frequency, total defecation time, defecation effort, fecal texture, fecal characteristics and fecal incontinence, etc. Results: Compared with the baseline data, constipation was improved and fecal incontinence was disappeared. Conclusions: Catgut implantation at Baliao and Xingfu One Acupuncture Point is effectual for patients with neurogenic dysporia secondary to incomplete SCI.

Study on intestinal flora of acupoint catgut embedding intervention in female patients with abdominal obesity: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background:Obesity,as an epidemic public health issue in the world today,not only brings a heavy medical burden to society but also seriously affects people’s quality of life.In the context of new evidence for the efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding(ACE)in abdominal obesity(AO),it is necessary to elucidate the mechanism of ACE for AO.The intestinal flora is closely associated with obesity,and the study of its intestinal flora may provide evidence to clarify the mechanism of obesity treatment by ACE.Methods:75 participants will be recruited in this study,including 60 eligible female patients diagnosed with AO and 15 healthy female participants.60 female AO patients will be randomized to ACE group,sham ACE group,and waiting list(WL)group in a ratio of 1:1:1.Patients in two ACE groups will receive one ACE treatment per week for 12 consecutive weeks,and in the WL group will not receive any treatment;only their data will be extracted.The primary outcome is the mean change in body mass index.Secondary effects include waist circumference,body weight,the visual analog score of appetite,and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale.High-throughput 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequencing will be used to detect intestinal flora in each group before and after the intervention.Conclusion:The results of this trial are expected to identify the critical intestinal flora causing AO and the target intestinal flora of AO regulated by ACE,providing further theoretical support for ACE in the clinical treatment of obesity.

Observation of the clinical effects of catgut implantation at acupoints on postpartum obesity with insulin resistance

To observe the effect of catgut implantation at acupoints on the treatment of patients with postpartum obesity and insulin resistance.Methods:A total of 120 patients with postpartum obesity and insulin resistance were randomly divided into treatment and control groups(60 patients per group).The treatment group was administered catgut implantation at acupoints while the control group received acupuncture alone for 12 weeks.The patients’body parameters,including body mass index(BMI),waist-to-hip ratio(WHR),fat percentage(FP),fasting blood glucose(FPG),fasting insulin(FINS),insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR),total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(T),high-density lipoprotein(HDL-C),low-density lipoprotein(LDL-C),and other biochemical indexes of blood lipids,were compared before and after treatment to investigate the efficacy of catgut implantation and acupuncture on postpartum obesity with insulin resistance.Results:The overall response rates were 93.33%and 85%in the treatment and control groups,respectively.After treatment,BMI,WHR,FP,FINS,HOMA-IR,TC,TG,and LDL-C decreased,HDL-C increased(P<0.05),and FPG did not change significantly(P>0.05)in both groups;however,the changes in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Both catgut implantation and acupuncture therapy showed good effects on improving postpartum obesity with insulin resistance.The therapeutic effect of catgut implantation on postpartum obesity was better than that of acupuncture therapy,and was therefore worthy of clinical application.

CLINICAL STUDY ON TREATMENT OF INFANTILE PRIMARY EPILEPSY WITH ACUPOINT CATGUT-IMPLANTATION THERAPY

Aim: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut implantation therapy in the treatment of infantile primary epilepsy. Methods: A total of 63 cases of primary epilepsy children were randomly divided into medication group (n=32) and acupoint catgut implantation group (n=31) and treated respectively with Sodium Valproate 5-10 mg/kg/d and catgut implantation at Changqiang (GV 1), Jiuwei (CV 15), bilateral Xinshu (BL 15) and bilateral Zusanli (ST 36). Results: Following 60 days of treatment, the abnormal changes of electroencephlogram (EEG), the seizure frequency and duration and clinical symptoms were improved apparently in comparison with those of pre treatment, but no significant differences were found between the two groups (P>0.05). There was a significant difference between two groups in the cure rate of the short term effect (P<0.05), with the therapeutic effect of the treatment group being superior to that of medication group. Conclusion: Acupoint catgut implantation therapy has a good therapeutic effect in the treatment of primary infantile epilepsy.

Catgut Point-Embedding Therapy in Treatment of 76 Cases of Ulcerative Colitis

In recent years, our department has adopted a catgut point-embedding therapy in the treatment of 76 cases of chronic ulcerative colitis, with quite good therapeutic effects. The following is a report of it. Clinical Data Of 76 cases we treated, 32 were male, and 44 female, with the ages ranging from 23 to 65 years and the duration of illness from 6 months to 20 years. All the cases complained of chronic diarrhea, most of them had mucous and blood stool, and some had tenesmus. Sigmoscopic findings showed that all the cases had varying degrees of colic mucosal congestion and edema, fragile mucosa easy to bleed upon touching, or rough mucosa with multiple ulcers varying in size, shape, and depth.

Treatment of Hyperlipemia by Acupoint Catgut-embedding in 34 Cases

With the therapeutic method of acupoint catgut embedding, the authors have in recent years treated hyperlipemia and achieved satisfactory therapeutic results. A report follows.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF ACUPOINT-CATGUT-EMBEDDING ON EEG OF EPILEPSY RATS

Aim: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of epilepsy rats. Methods: 40 Wistar rats were randomly and evenly divided into normal control, model, medication (Natrii Valproas syrup), and catgut embedding groups. Epilepsy model was established by intraperitoneal injection of sodium penicillin (0.4 mu/100 g), twice every week, continuously for 4 weeks. Electroencephalograph (EEG) was used as the index for assessing the effect of catgut embedding on epilepsy. Results: In epilepsy rats of model group, the amplitude and frequency of EEG increased significantly in comparison with control group (P<0.05). While the amplitude and frequency of EEG of catgut embedding group and medication group were all significantly lower than those of model group (P<0.05, 0.01). The frequency of EEG of catgut embedding group was significantly lower than that of medication group (P<0.05). These findings show that both acupoint catgut embedding and medication can apparently improve epileptic electrical activities of the brain in the rat, and the effect of catgut embedding is better than that of medication in lowering the frequency of EEG.

Observation on 105 Cases of Duodenal Bulbar Ulcer Treated by Combined Therapy of Catgut Embe0ding and Chinese Drugs

Duodenal bulbar ulcer is a frequently encountered disease. Clinically, it manifests itself by regular epigastric pain accompanied by belching and acid regurgitation, corresponding to epigastralgia and stomach distending pain in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Based on the TCM type-differentiation, the author has treated 105 cases of duodenal bulbar ulcer by the combined therapy of catgut embedding at point Zusanli (ST 36) and Chinese drugs with satisfactory results. A summary is as follows. Clinical Data 1. Case selection: The cases selected all had the clinical symptoms and signs of duodenal bulbar ulcer, and had been diagnosed by GI examination at this or other hospitals with no obvious therapeutic effects obtained after relevant treatment, and still symptoms and signs and repeated attacks of pain.

Clinical Observation in 46 Cases of Angina Pectoris Treated by the Catgut-embedding Therapy

With the catgut-embedding therapy, the author treated 46 cases of angina pectoris from October 1997 to February 2002, and achieved good therapeutic results. This is reported as follows.

Efficacy of catgut embedding in Baihui(GV20)and Feishu(BL13)and Pishu(BL20)on lung tissue,brain tissue and blood related indexes in rats with allergic rhinitis of lung deficiency type

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of acupoint catgut embedding for 3 weeks on lung tissue,blood immunoglobulin E(IgE)and interleutin-4(IL-4),brain tissue microglia x-42(OX-42)and toll-like receptor-2(TLR-2)in rats with allergic rhinitis of lung deficiency type.METHODS:Forty-five female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided for two times.The first time,they were randomly divided into model group and blank group(Group C)according to 2∶1,and the second time,the model group were randomly divided into model control group(Group B)and intervention treatment group(Group A)according to 1∶1.15 in each group.For Group A and Group B,the lung deficiency model was made by"sulfur–moxa fumigation",and then the allergic rhinitis model was established by"ovalbumin(OVA)sensitization".Then catgut embedding was performed at acupoints in Group A and not in Group B.After 3 weeks,collect lung tissue samples for hematoxylin-eosin staining,then take blood to observe the concentration of IgE and IL-4,and finally take brain tissue to observe the results of OX-42 and TLR-2.RESULTS:IgE level(μg/m L)was(3.11±0.20)in the Group A,(4.19±0.44)in the Group B,and(2.29±0.30)in the Group C(all P<0.001).IL-4 level(pg/mL)was(14.2±0.7)in the Group A,(18.6±2.4)in the Group B,and(11.4±1.2)for the Group C(all P<0.001).The mean OD for OX-42 is(0.1728±0.0016)in the Group A,(0.1810±0.0046)in the Group B and(0.1674±0.0025)in the Group C(all P<0.001).CONCLUSION:Although 3 weeks of acupoint catgut embedding already showed obvious efficacy on rats with allergic rhinitis,the allergic reaction in the body still continued.To achieve further treatment,prolonging the catgut embedding time is necessary.

Effect of catgut embedding at acupoints versus non-acupoints in abdominal obesity:a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE:To explore the difference of catgut embedding effect between acupoints and non-acupoints in patients with abdominal obesity(AO).METHODS:In this multicenter,double-blind,randomized controlled trial,all subjects were randomly assigned into the acupoint catgut embedding(ACE)group and control group(catgut embedding at non-acupoints).With a 12-week actual intervention period and a 4-week period of follow-up.Waist circumference(WC),body weight,body mass index(BMI),hip circumference(HC)and appetite were applied and assessed at baseline and after 6,12 and 16 weeks.RESULTS:After the total intervention phase(12 weeks),the WC,body weight,BMI,HC and visual analogue scale scores of appetite,decreased significantly in the two groups as compared to the baseline(P<0.001).Meanwhile,after the 4-week follow-up,the indicators still decreased significantly in the ACE group(P<0.001).At 12 and 16 weeks,catgut embedding at acupoints showed significantly advantages to non-acupoints in WC and appetite(P<0.05).No serious adverse events were observed in ACE group and control group.CONCLUSIONS:Catgut embedding at acupoints and non-acupoints are all effective and safe for AO.ACE can effectively treat AO as expected and deliver lasting results.

Acupoint catgut embedding for simple obesity in animal studies:a systematic review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE:To assess the efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding(ACE)for simple obesity in preclinical animal experiments.METHODS:We searched the following 14 electronic databases:PubM ed,Cochrane Library,EMBASE,Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System,KoreaMed,Korean Studies Information Service System,Science-on,Research Information Sharing Service,Korea Citation Index,Korea Traditional Knowledge Portal,China Network Knowledge Infrastructure Database,Wanfang Database,Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database,and Chinese Biology Medicine Database,from inception to November 2021 without language limitation.The assessment was performed according to the guidelines of Animal Research:Reporting of in vivo experiments;and Metaanalysis was performed using Reviewer Manager 5.4.1 software.RESULTS:Twenty-four studies involving 813 animals were selected.Meta-analysis showed that ACE was beneficial for weight control[n=40,MD=-50.63,95%CI(-57.59,-43.67),P<0.00001,I 2=0%]and reduced the Lee index[n=40,MD=-18.79,95%CI(-20.01,-17.57),P<0.00001,I 2=0%].However,when efficacy of ACE was compared with that of manual acupuncture,electroacupuncture,or oilistat therapy,statistical difference was not observed between the two groups.CONCLUSIONS:This systematic review suggests that ACE may be efficacious in treating obesity.Moreover,the analyses highlighted the necessity to perform welldesigned,higher-quality experiments.